Easter Decor 2013

Happy Belated Easter! I was hoping to get these pictures posted before Easter, but my busy schedule always seems to get in the way these days. Easter was very quiet this year as Kate's spring break from college was 2 weeks ago. She and Travis visited us for a few days during that week. So it was just the three of us this year and we had a wonderful day!

After reflecting on the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we decided to take the afternoon and enjoy the outdoors. We ended up eating lunch outside on the patio at B.J's restaurant near the beach. The sun had just come out as we sat down to eat and a gently breeze danced around us as we enjoyed a delicious lunch of gluten free pizza and Thai chicken lettuce wraps. After a delicious lunch we took a bike ride along the shore and took several breaks to just sit and gaze out at the ocean on a glorious day! The weather could not have been better. No traditional ham dinner for us this year.... I made a simple pasta dish and then  we watched the last episode of "The Bible" on The History Channel which was a perfect way to end our Easter day.

This was the first year that we did not have both kids home for Easter morning. Typically the Easter bunny always brings a big basket of candy and gifts for Kate and Kyle and then we do an egg hunt. However this year it became very real to both Kevin and I that our kids are grown up! It is both wonderful and sad at the same time, and I admit I missed our traditional Easter morning activities.

I ended up only putting out about 60% of my Easter decorations this year and pretty much only decorated the kitchen. Since we weren't having any one in for Easter or dinner this year I kept it simple. Below is my sink area that is just so perfect for holiday decorating purposes. As I've said before I love my all white kitchen because you can decorate it in any color and change it up as often as you like. Therefore all of my pastel Easter decorations worked very well in this space.

 I took this simple glass vase that I purchased years ago at Michael's and filled it with silk flowers, filling the base with plastic Easter eggs in a speckled faux green. I love all the varieties of plastic Easter eggs you can find now. I bought these at Home Goods several years back. The bunny was another Home Goods purchase years ago and the little bird on the left belonged to my Mom.

 

Above are a view wider views of the kitchen. 

The above vintage plate was among several I recently received in a box full of some of my Mom's things. The framed Easter card was given to me by my Mom many years ago. 

Above is another vintage plate and the Easter Bunny plate is something I've had for many years. 

These decoupage eggs are among my favorite of all my Easter decorations. They were gifts from my Mom years ago. I've had the little white iron bunny for many years. 

Here is my corner iron stand decorated for Easter. I just love this little "nook" in the kitchen which is the perfect spot for this iron stand. The cross hanging on the wall to the right was among some of the things I recently received that belonged to my Mom. My Mom, like me, LOVED crosses.

 

I love these little vintage Easter Bunnies. They along with the ceramic painted egg belonged to my Mom.

This cross is one of my all time favorites. I love it here with the little basket and ceramic painted egg.

The framed vintage card and bunny on the right were also among some of the things that I recently found in some boxes that belonged to my Mom. The other little bunny I've had since the kids were little.

This little stuffed bunny was a gift from my Mom many years ago. Doesn't he look cute sitting in a basket of Easter grass and eggs?

 
For my long time blog readers, you will recognize this floral bouquet with hand made paper Easter egg ornaments. I saw a bouquet like this 3 years ago at Pottery Barn and to purchase the entire thing from the vase to the flowers to the paper ornaments was over $150. I took a picture of it and used my own paper crafting supplies to make the ornaments. I bought the vase and flowers at Michael's with a coupon and ended up putting the whole thing together for under $40.

 

 

 

I like to put out this ivory runner with fabric flowers on it during the Spring. The little basket with eggs is another past purchase from Home Goods.

 

This little ceramic bowl/basket has been around for many years as well. This year I filled it with some wood shavings and plastic eggs.

I love these little bunnies! I put them out by my coffee maker and they have greeted me every morning while I make coffee.

This is the extent of my Easter decor in the living room. I put out one bunny!

 I can't remember where I got him, but I just love his little back pack where you can put an egg or small candle.

My only new purchase this year was the above Easter Bunny door hanging. I used a gift card I received for Christmas from my in-laws to Joannes to purchase it. I just love it! This is our front gate that leads into our front court yard.

 Lastly, here is my Happy Easter flag that I pitched out in the front yard. I love changing the flag from season to season.

May the rest of your Spring be glorious and once again, Happy Belated Easter!

Valentine's Day decor 2013

I'm finally getting around to posting the pictures from my Valentine decor for this year. As I've said before I love the fact that I have a white/galley style kitchen. It lends itself to decorating it in any style or color which is perfect for my love of decorating for all of the holidays. The galley style is ideal because it is completely separate from the rest of the house. I could decorate it in pink and black and it wouldn't "clash" with the rest of the decor in the house!

So in this case, the holiday decor focus is on Valentine's Day. Here is my sink with kitchen window. I love the little "alcove tile shelf" above my sink. First and foremost I love that I can open those windows on a warm day and let the cool breeze come in. Secondly I love all the natural light the windows brings in. Lastly I love that I can decorate the shelf! At Christmas I put our Christmas Village on the shelf and it was so wonderful there. For Valentine's Day I put the "BE MINE" wooden blocks that I painted and decorated with scrap book paper several years back.

I hung a vintage plate on either side of the window. Underneath one of the plates in a wooden heart hanging.

Under the other plate I hung this fun rosette hanging I made at my friend and Stampin Up! Demonstrator Krista's house last year.

 

Here are the BE MINE blocks close up.

I additionally adorned the kitchen counters with these fun decoupage heart boxes that my Mom made many years ago. They are so fun to get out every year. Every year they bring with them lots of thoughts of love as I remember my Mom who passed away five years ago. She was very artistic and loved to create all kinds of crafts. She also loved to decorate her home for the holidays. She definitely passed on those loves to me!

Here is a fun heart on a finial that I found in old town Temecula and The Farmer's Wife 3 years ago.

I put a red place mat under neath the coffee maker and another one of my Mom's decorated heart boxes out with my Stevia sweetener packets inside. I found the little vintage heart ornament at World Market this year.

Four years ago when I worked at a scrap booking store I purchased a couple of these decorated chip board heart ornaments. I came home and made more. Enough to cover this little white iron "tree". I call this the "tree of hearts".

I hung red towels on the double ovens.

When you step down into the galley kitchen there is this perfect little "nook" where I keep my iron corner shelf. Of course I loaded it up with Valentine's decor.

The top shelf has my framed "collage art" I made of paper, stamps and stickers many years back.

This Susan Branch book on LOVE was from my Mom as was another one of her hand painted heart boxes. It says "Remember Me   Love Always" I truly believe that approximately 10 years prior to my Mom's death she began to sense that she would not be with us as long as she would have wanted. Many of her gifts (including this one) reflect that.

Because I was in need of a red plate to complete this display, I dug out the "You are special today" plate along with a couple of Mary Engelbreight heart boxes. I've had the plate since 1996. Whenever one of the kids would have a good report card, Kevin would get a raise or promotion, or any of us was having a birthday etc....that person would eat on the "special today" plate. We still use the plate to this day and I plan on using it with future grandchildren too.

I hope you all had a Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Deck the Halls 2012

Here is our house all decked out for Christmas! The cards and gifts are sent, gifts wrapped and under the tree, groceries purchased and menu planned for 2 big family meals.. Kyle has completed and turned in his independent study work and has the next 2 weeks off and Kate just got home. Ahh.... all is well with with my world....and time to RELAX and enjoy family and Christmas!

 

At last I have a minute to post some pics that I took of the house and my Christmas decor WEEKS ago! Kyle, Kevin and I all worked together on the outside lights. The guys did the lights on the house and I did the lighted garland and bows on the picket fence, planted poinsettias in our outside plant urns and hung the wreathes.

 

 Kevin and Kyle framed the outside of the house with lights and I love how it lights up our front couryard.

 When you step inside our front door you are greeted by 3 woodland trees. When my Mom passed away 5 years ago I inherited many of her holiday items including all of these ornaments that she loved. My Mom loved acorns, and had many acorn ornamnets. She also had many cross and bird ornaments. So I have decorated these little trees with the ornaments in honor of my Mom.

I have this little pic of my Mom hung on the tree. It's in a frame ornament that has an acorn on it!

 I hung our stocking from the stair rail that leads up to our family room.

 This is the living room where we put the tree near the fire place. The tree is decorated with 23 years of family ornaments that we have collected over the years. I'm so grateful to Kevin for building this mantle over the fireplace so I could decorate it for Christmas.

 

 A closer shot of the tree below.

 

 Back when my children were small my Mom started a snowman collection for Kate and Christmas bear collection for Kyle. Here is Kate's collection set up in the living room book shelf.

 Hanging next to the book shelf is a JOY vertical banner that I purchased at The Julie Jane Paper Co in Vegas a few years back.

 This will be my last year to enjoy these snowmen in my home! Now that Kate is 22 and will be graduating from college in early Dec 2013; I will be passing them on to her to decorate with next year. That was always my Mom's intention. I will miss these snowmen, so I guess I'll have to start my own collection!

Here is a view of the dining room from the living room.

...and looking back from the dining room.

 I decided to display several of my Christmas dishes, plates, cups etc this year in the dining room hutch.

 This Hollie Hobbie Plate was my Moms and I found it in a box of my Mom's things that my Dad gave me over the Summer.

 This Joan Walsh Anglund plate was also my Moms.

 I bought these JOY coffee cups at Starbucks a few years back. I had 4 but sadly one broke.

 I've had these snowman dishes for many years. We use them all through the month of December.

                                Here is another shot of our living room.

 

Below is my Mom's Santa Claus collection. I set it out on my wrought iron shelf in a little nook in my galley kitchen. It love it here!

 

Our very good family friends Mom and Grandma, Dorothy...made the above Santa. I bought him at one of her craft fairs. She was such a lovely Christian lady and a good neighbor of ours for a short period. She went home to be with the Lord a couple years back, but when I bring out this Santa each year I think of her with such affection.

Below is a shot of the kitchen looking at my sink and windows. I hung pictures that all belonged to my Mom on either side of the windows. I set up our Christmas village in the window ledge. It just works so well there.

 

 Above is my angel collection. My Mom started this collection for me a few years before she passed away. I always keep my eye out for collectible angels for my collection but so far this year and last I haven't seen one that I like.

 I made this "count down" to Christmas tree a few years back. It's fun watching the days count down until Chirstmas.

Another shot of kitchen above.

 

Here is a shot of the woodland trees looking down from the stairs.

Our nativity scene is something I look forward to seeting out each year.

 

I decided to decorate a couple of inside windows too!                                                                                               

I bought this advent sleigh a couple of years back and I made the little paper luminere.

We are in the process of converting the upstairs loft/room into our family room. It's been a "man cave" of sorts since we moved in with Kevin's office up there, a couch and TV where Kyle plays X Box and some exercise equipment. However we recently bought a really nice flat screen TV and put it up there and are looking for a big sectional so we can all start spending our evening TV time up there. I didn't decorate for Christmas up there this year, but plan on it next year. Once we get the room done, I'll post pics of the new family room.

From our house to yours, Merry Christmas everyone! Happy New year too.